Archaic England : $b an essay in deciphering prehistory from megalithic monuments, earthworks, customs, coins, place-names, and faerie superstitionsBayley, Harold
History
Archaic England : $b an essay in deciphering prehistory from megalithic monuments, earthworks, customs, coins, place-names, and faerie superstitions
Bayley, Harold
Archaeology; England -- Antiquities
At the south-eastern extremity of Dhia is a colossal spike, peak, or
_pier_, entitled Cape Apiri, and we may connote Apiri with the Iberian
town named Ipareo. The coinage of Ipareo pourtrays "a sphinx walking to
the left," at other times it depicted the Trinacria or walking legs of
Sicily and the Isle of Man. The Three Legs of Sicily were represented
with the face of Apollo, as the hub or _bogel_, and the ancient name of
Sicily was _Hyper_eia. On the Feast Day of the Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, the Sicilians or Hypereians hold what they still term the
"Festival of the _Bara_". An immense machine of about 50 feet high is
constructed, designing to represent heaven; and in the midst is placed a
young female personating the Virgin, with an image of Jesus on her right
hand; round the Virgin twelve little children turn vertically,
representing so many seraphim, and below them twelve more children turn
horizontally, as cherubim; lower down in the machine a sun turns
vertically, with a child at the extremity of each of the four principal
radii of his circle, who ascend and descend with his rotation, yet
always in an erect posture; and still lower, reaching within about 7
feet of the ground, are placed twelve boys who turn horizontally without
intermission around the principal figure, designing thereby to exhibit
the twelve apostles, who were collected from all corners of the earth,
to be present at the decease of the Virgin, and witness her miraculous
assumption. This huge machine is drawn about the principal streets by
sturdy monks, and it is regarded as a particular favour to any family to
admit their children in this divine exhibition, although the poor
infants themselves do not seem long to enjoy the honours they receive as
seraphim, cherubim, and apostles; the constant twirling they receive in
the air making some of them fall asleep, many of them sick, and others
more grievously ill.[339]
Not only this Hypereian Feast but the machine itself is termed the
_Bara_, whence it is evident that, like St. Michael, _Aubrey_ or Aber
the Confluence, was regarded as the Camber, Synagogue, Yule or Holy
Whole, and the fact that the Sicilian Bara is held upon the day of St.
Alipius indicates some intimate connection with St. Alf or Alpi. The
Walking Sphinx of the Iparean coins is identified by M. Lenormant as the
Phoenician deity Aion, and according to Akerman the type was doubtless
chosen in compliment to Albinus, who was born at Hadrumetum, a town not
far from Carthage.[340] What was the precise connection between this
Aion and Albinus I am unaware.
Among the coins of Iberia some bear the inscriptions ILIBERI,
ILIBEREKEN, and ILIBERINEKEN, which accord with Pliny's reference to the
Iliberi or Liberini. Liber was the Latin title of the God of Plenty,
whence _liberal_, _liberty_, _labour_, etc., and seemingly the _Elibers_
or Liberins deified these virtues as attributes of the Holy Aubrey or
the Holy Brain-King.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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